Word study
Humility
3 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “humility”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “humility” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- עֲנָוָה ănâvâhhumility:translated this way 4 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s H6038Noun · Translated: humility 4, gentleness 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth who carry out His justice. Seek righteousness; seek humility. Perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger.
- עַנְוָה anvâhhumility:translated this way 1 time of its 2 uses · Strong’s H6037Noun · Translated: gentleness 1, humility 1Full study and all 2 verses →
Psalm 45:4 In your splendor ride forth in victory on behalf of truth and humility and justice; may your right hand show your awesome deeds.
- צָנַע tsânabe modest, humbletranslated this way 1 time of its 2 uses · Strong’s H6800Adjective · Translated: humility 1, humbly 1Full study and all 2 verses →
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ταπεινοφροσύνη tapeinophrosýnēhumilitytranslated this way 7 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G5012Noun · Translated: humility 7, humble 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Acts 20:19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews.
Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
- πραΰτης praÿtēsmildness, gentlenesstranslated this way 1 time of its 12 uses · Strong’s G4240Noun · Translated: gentleness 6Full study and all 12 verses →
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
What the Bible says about humility: passages by topic →
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.